Thursday, December 28, 2017

Year End Playtime

The time between Christmas and New Year's day is generally a relaxing "playtime" for me.  There is no rush to make or finish anything.

The day after Christmas, I went with my nephew and his girlfriend to see Star Wars: The Last Jedi.  (no spoilers here -so read on.)
I enjoyed it a lot.  The online opinions range from great to they ruined it.  Since I went in with no expectations except to enjoy myself and the wild ride that it was sure to be - that is what I did.

I have also been spinning some bamboo fiber - with a bit of faux alpaca (I think it is a nylon fiber) to make some year for weaving with later.  I love spinning wool, but when I weave, I want easy care fabric that I can wash in the machine and toss in the dryer.  So I have a lot of spun wool that I don't use regularly. 
Here is some of the fiber and the bamboo yarn on the spinning wheel..
I make the fiber into a preparation called "rolags" prior to spinning.  

Fiber that is spun in to yarn singles still on the bobbin of the spinning wheel. 
I am planning to attempt making blended roving from my fibers like I watched in a class on Craftsy. The class is Fiber Preparation for Spinning by Esther Rodgers.  Esther is also a weaving enthusiast, but she is a great teacher of spinning and fiber prep. 

The colorful warp that I put on the loom a few days before Christmas called to me a bit.  So I did a section of weaving on it.
The multicolor  warp is a delight to weave on.
The next photo is a close-up of some of the inlaid pattern work I did with some "scrap" yarn.
Notice the aqua line running through the lighter (yellow/orange) section.   I had pieces of excess yarns when I tied on the warp - due to a mistake I made.  That stuff will not go to waste, but rather, I will use it for added interest in the fabric.

Here is a quote that I will not give credit for (I have my reasons.)  "The greatest teacher, failure is."   
Every mistake you make is a learning experience.  The point is not to despair, but to take that failure and use it to be smarter and stronger.  Do you remember the questions you got right on a test?  The ones you remember best are the ones you missed - at least that is my experience.  I missed one word in a spelling bee - I will never forget how to spell that word!


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Sunday, December 24, 2017

Latest Finish

This is my last finish before Christmas. So a Merry Christmas to you all.


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Thursday, December 21, 2017

Warped in Colors

I have finished weaving the scarf I had on my loom but it is in the pile to be wet finished so I don't have a photo yet.

Since I will be going to a "weaving day" with a lot of friends soon, I needed to put a new warp on my loom. I decided that LOTS of color was a good idea.  Then I can weave with every color there is.  When we gather to weave, I may do a section in rainbow color.  For now, I did a bit of weaving to get it started.
I love the play of color across the warp.

There is a sewing project in the works, but I am "making it up as I go,"  so I haven't taken photos.

Edited to add:  Jennifer asked "What is a warp?"  Here is my reply to her. 
A  warp is the set of threads that run from one end of the cloth to the other. The selvedge edges are the direction of the warp threads.  The threads that run from side to side (selvedge to selvedge) are the weft threads. 
To weave you start with the warp on the loom and then add the weft threads. 

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Saturday, December 16, 2017

The Funky Chicken

Since my muse apparently said "too cold here, I am going to Mexico without you!"  I have been trying to stir up some inspiration.  I came across a free pattern on a blog so I decided to pull out some pre-fused fabric and play. Mine is a bit different as I free cut a few pieces, but here is the Funky Chicken placed on a dark fabric so it shows well.
Someday, maybe next week, maybe next year - who knows?  I will decide on a background and finish off this bird.  For now, I am still waiting for the muse to say "Surprise, I am back - let's get to work."
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Thursday, December 14, 2017

A bit of Weaving

During our "snow-pocalypse," while the power was out, I started on this scarf.  I think it is coming along nicely although I am not sure it is what the person who requested it will want.  I am basing it off of another woven piece that was seen only in a photo. 
This is another of the lighter woven scarves, although in places I have done some tighter weaving to add in patterns that will not work in a looser weave. 

During this holiday season, I am getting less done in the "making" department, but I am certainly enjoying life.  I have a volunteer dinner to attend this week as I have started working as a volunteer usher with the Oxford Performing Arts Center in the neighboring town.  It is a nice way to get out and meet new people or perhaps run into old friends. 
More time is being used for exercise as I have started taking a Flexibility class a couple of times a week.  I also took two Zumba classes, but I think I will wait until January to do more of that as life is so busy right now.

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Sunday, December 10, 2017

Snow - Update

The picture from yesterday of the snow was only the beginning. However, even then roads were being closed as were schools, government offices and businesses.  While in some parts of the country, this seems extreme; you must consider that we get snow maybe twice a year and sometimes not at all. We do not have equipment to clear roadways and no-one here has snow-tires or chains for their tires. (The equivalent is Southerners thinking "What they don't have air conditioning?  Are they crazy?"  It depends on the local climate.)

So, I was planning to spend the day sewing and weaving and completing some projects.  Then the electrical power went off.  And the snow started falling even more and quite thickly. 
The ground was already covered a bit - but this was getting thicker!
When I measured it was right at five inches - but this was in an area where I didn't have to wade out into the snow - so it wasn't the true depth of snow.  I have now read that some parts of my county got ten inches of snow.  Pine trees were either drooping or falling and we have a lot of pines in this area.
The other trees weren't as badly affected - although when I finally got out on Saturday after the roads were reopened, I saw that many still had bright fall leaves under the snow - as it melted from the sun, those trees looked like cotton plants as the snow stayed in bunches on the thick areas.

So, what to do while the power is out? The first order of business was to get the emergency gas space heater operational.  I did that and it kept the house temp from falling below 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

  All of my sewing machines are electric.  However, my loom is fully hand (and foot) powered.  I have a request for a scarf based on one of my woven garments.  So I made the warp and put that on the loom.  I wove on it for a while - but then the light started to fade.  I put it away and read for a bit.

As my stove is electric also,  cooking was going to be a challenge also. Wait, a minute - I have a gas grill outside that I have had for years.  The best part is that it has a side burner - just like a gas stovetop.  I got it going and fixed a simple warm supper. I also boiled water and made hot herbal tea to go with it.  The next morning I used the same method to make coffee!

Once the roads opened - and I still had no power, I decided to visit Mom. Her power was functional and I could charge my phone without sitting in the car.
The snow and ice had crusted over on  her antenna and popped it right off the pole - so we watched an old DVD of  The Ozzie and Harriet Show from 1956 - that is before I was born!

When I got home, the power had been restored - Thank goodness!
The snow is still thick on the ground and on the rooftop.  I am waiting for the avalanche when it finally lets go and slides off. But for now, I am just taking it easy. I am grateful that my "pioneer spirit" allowed me to weather the storm with grace.


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Friday, December 08, 2017

Early Morning

This is what I woke up to find. 
Apparently summer is over. 
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Wednesday, December 06, 2017

Catching Up

One of my readers emailed me and said "Get back to blogging, because I miss you."   I actually found that to be a sweet comment because we all hope someone cares enough to miss us.
I have slowed down with making things for a bit after the big show.  I am trying to get into better physical shape.  I have started taking a flexibility class that is offered by a local center.  I have also tried out Zumba - which as you may (or may not) know is a dance exercise program.  So far I have been the only guy in the two classes I have taken. I actually enjoy it quite a bit. 
One thing that I learned in the past few months is that exercise helps your body to use glucose (sugar) properly and thus keeps your blood sugar under control a bit better.   ((Okay so enough for the health lesson!))

One thing that I have done recently that you haven't seen is a little bit of fabric dyeing.    I had some yardage of a white with light blue tiny flowers printed on it.  I have used some of it as linings for various things, but I didn't love this fabric.  One of the things I learned in fabric dyeing class is that you can over-dye fabrics you don't really like.  I pulled the fabric off my "mini-bolt" and dyed it with two different colors of blue.
This is actually the "back side" of the fabric as it is my favorite side at the moment.  I still have the option to over-dye this again.  Using a yellow would make some interesting greens - and so would using green as the dark blues would be really dark greens.  A red dye would give a nice red and purple fabric with possibly some other shades that may appear gray.  The options are many at this point.

While I was dyeing that piece, I had more dye to use up so I grabbed a piece of ready  to dye white fabric.  I didn't think I did anything special in scrunching it up to put in the container. But, when I rinsed it out, I discovered a nice -although subtle - medallion dyed into the center.
This is one of the joys of dyeing without planning out what you are going to do.  Sometimes you get a nice surprise piece.

I will try to blog a bit more frequently for those of you who miss me when I am away.
Until next time sew in peace,


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